Safety container



JunelO, 1958 s. ROBERTSON SAFETY CONTAINER Filea March 21, 1955INVENTOR. 5/1 54; 1905:2750- United States Patent 7 v SAFETY CONTAINERSnell Robertson, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Swingspout MeasureCompany, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California ApplicationMarch 21, 1955, Serial No. 495,733

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-473) adapted to normally yieldingly engage and closethe spout.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety containerof the character referred to, with a spring actuated closureconstruction for the pouring spout on the container and having anactuating bar .whichis related to the supporting handleon the containerso that the bar and the handle can be conveniently, simultaneouslyengaged by a persons hand.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure of thecharacter referred to wherein the bar and handle are related to eachother so that when the said her is engaged and the container is tippedfor pouring, the. Weight of the container is sufiicient to actuate theclosure mechanism to an open position, where the bar engages and stopsagainst the handle, and so that the closure mechanism does not have tobe independently actuated after the can is tipped for pouring.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a safety canhaving a closure mechanism of the character referred .to that is simple,easy and economical of manufacture, and which is extremely easy andconvenient to operate.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of a typicalpreferred form and application of my invention, throughout whichdescription reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a portion of the safety containerprovided by the present invention. Fig. 2' is a front elevational viewof the structure shown in Fig. 1 and taken as indicated by line 22 onFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of my safety container, itbeing a view taken substantially as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2 andshowing the closure mechanism in an actuated position.

The safety container provided by the present invention is shown asincluding, a liquid handling vessel A, a pour ing spout B on the vessel,a carrying and supporting handle C, a cap D adapted to normally engageand close the spout, and actuating means E pivotally carried by thehandle and carrying the cap and adapted to shift the cap into and out ofengagement with the spout.

The liquid handling vessel A shown throughout the drawings is a simpleor conventional type of can or vessel, such as is commonly employed tocarry gasoline or the like, and is characterized by an elongatevertically disposed cylindrical body 10, a substantially flathorizontally disposed bottom wall (not shown) fixed to and closing thebottom end of the body, and a substantially horizontally disposed topwall 11 fixed to and closing the upper or top end of the body. In theparticularcaseillustrated, the vessel is formed of sheet metal and thetop wall 11" thereof is crowned slightly, in accordance with accepteddesign for vessels or containers of the character here concerned with.

The pouring spout B is a simple, straight substantially verticallydisposed tubular part, open at both ends. The pouring spout has itslower end portion 12 engaged in an aperture 13 in the top wall 11 of thevessel A so that it projects upwardly therefrom. The upper terminal endof the spout B is cut off straight and smooth and establishes an annularseat 14 adapted to be engaged by and seal with the cap D.

In the particular case illustrated, the aperture 13 in the vessel A isaxially offset from the central vertical axis of the vessel to occuradjacent the upper peripheral edge thereof. The spout B is engaged inthe aperture so that it projects upwardly and radially outwardlytherefrom. The support B is shown as being fixed in the aperture 13 inthe vessel by means of soldering or the like.

A suitable pouring lip 15 is shown fixed to the pouring spout B at itsouter side and is adapted to stop or prevent liquid from running downthe spout and onto the vessel when the container is tipped and liquid isbeing poured therefrom.

The handle C is a substantially U-shaped part, formed of sheet metal,and is characterized by an elongate hori zontally disposed hand grip l6,and an elongate vertically disposedleg 17 depending from each end of thehand grip. Each leg 17 at the ends of the hand grip 16 is provided withan outwardly projecting tab-like part 18 at its lower terminal endandadapted to be fixed to the top wall 11 of the vessel A as by means ofspotwelding or V the like.

The handle C is fixed to the top 11 of the vessel A so that the handgrip 16 is spaced above the top 11 thereof and so that it intersects thevertical axis of the vessel.- The hand grip 16 is shown as extending ina plane across the top vessel which is. at right angles to the radialplane of the vessel along which the pouring spout B is located.

The cap D adapted to engage and close the pouring spout B is shown asbeing in the form'of a flat discshaped member, slightly larger indiameter than the spout B, and is adapted to be shifted into and out ofengagement with the annular seat is established by the upper terminalend of the spout B.

In the particular case illustrated, the cap 'D is provided with adownwardly projecting annular flange 19 about its outer periphery,adapted to occur around the upper end portion of the spout B, when thecap is engaged thereon, to prevent excessive radial shifting of the caprelative to the spout. The cap D is shown as being further provided witha suitable sealing disc 20, formed of rubber or the like, fixed to theunderside of the cap to occur within the confines of the flange 19. Thesealing disc 29 is adapted to occur between the spout and the cap toengage and establish a fluid tight seal with the set 14 of the spout.

The actuating means E supported by the handle C and adapted to pivotallycarry and shift the cap, D into and,

out of sealing engagement with the spout B, includes generally, a pairof elongate laterallyspaced parallel arms 21,, having inner and outerends, means pivotally connecting the inner ends of the arms to the legs17 of theh-andle C, a finger engaging bar 2 fixed to and extendingbetween the outer ends of the arms, a clevis plate 23 fixed to the topof the cap D, and a pair of like,'elongate oppositely disposed fingers24 fixed to the outer ends of the 'armsZl to project laterally therefromand having opposed end portions 25 engaged with and clevis plate 23.

In the particular form of the invention illustrated, the arms 21,gripping bar 22 and fingers 2 4, are formed of sheet metal and areintegrally a unitary frame-like structure.

pivotally connected to the joined together to establish The actuatingmeans E further includes suit-able spring means 26 between the arms 21and the legs 17 of the handle C, to normally yieldingly urge theactuating means forwardly so that the cap D engages and closes -thespout A.

In the form of the invention illustrated, the actuating means E isrelated to the handle C, so that the inner ends of the arms 21 occurbetween the inner opposed sides of the legs 17 of the handle C.

The arms 21 of the actuating means E are simple, flat, elongateplate-like parts and have their inner ends pivotally secured to thelower ends of the legs 17 of the handle C, by means of suitable pivotpins 27, which pins are fixed to the inner ends of the arms to projectlaterally therefrom and through suitable bearing openings 28 in the legs17. A cotter pin 29 is engaged through each pivot pin 27, to engage theouter side of the legs 17, to maintain the arms engaged therewith. Thearms are related to the container A so that they are forwardly andupwardly inclined relative thereto.

It is to be understood that an elongate rod, extending between the legs17, could be employed in place of the pivot pins 27 described above,without effecting the operation of the device.

The gripping bar 22 is a simple, straight elongate member, and is fixedto and extends between the outer ends of the arms 21 so that it isparallel with the hand grip 16 of the handle C. The gripping bar 22normally occurs forward of the hand grip 16 of the handle C and overliesthe spout B, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. When the means Eis actuated, and the bar 22 is shifted towards the handle C, the barengages and stops against the hand grip 16, in the manner clearlyillustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The clevis plate 23 on the cap D is a simple U-sh-aped part formed ofsheet metal and is shown as having a base portion fixed to the topof'the cap D and a pair of laterally spaced upwardly projecting tabs 30.The base of the clevis plate 23 is shown as being secured to the cap Dby suitable screw means 31, which means projects through the said baseand cap through the sealing disc in the cap, and serves to maintain thecap, sealing disc and clevis plate in tight fixed assembly.

The fingers 24 of the actuating means E are elongate strap-like partsprojecting laterally inwardly towards each other from the outer ends ofthe arms 21, to overlie the cap D, and have their free end portions 25turned forwardly to project between the tabs of the clevis plate 23. Theend portions 25 of the fingers 24 are provided with aligned elongatedapertures 32, adapted to freely receive a suitable pivot pin 33 which isfixed to and extends betweenthe tabs 30 of the clevis plate.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be seen that the closure Dis pivotally and shiftably carried by the actuating means E and thatshould the said actuating means E or the pouring spout B becomemisaligned or shifted relative to each other, the cap will, when engagedwith the spout B, shift into sealing engagement therewith.

In the particular case illustrated, the terminal end 34, of each finger25, which opposes the top of the closure D, is formed to establish asuitable stop adapted to engage the top of the cap to limit excessivepivotal movement of the cap and thereby assure proper alignment of thecap with the spout, when the structure is closed.

The springmeans 26 which serves to yieldingly maintain theactuatingmeans E and cap D in a closed position, .includes, a 'coilspring 35 engaged around each pivot pin 27, to occur'between the legs 17of the handle C and the arms 21 of the actuating means B. Each spring isshown as having radially disposed arms at 'each end thereof. One of thearms of each spring 35 is provided with a hook 36 at its outer end,adapted to engage other arm of the spring engages and is held bya'suita'hle inwardly projecting lug 37 formed in the adjacent leg 17 ofthe handle C.

It is to be noted, that the gripping bar 22 of the actuating means Ejoins the rearmost edge of the arms 21, while the fingers 24 join theforemost edges of the arms 21. With this relationship of parts, it willbe seen that the gripping bar 22 and the fingers 24 are spaced apart andthat the gripping bar can be advantageously engaged by the fingers ofaperson using my safety container without interference from the fingers24 thereof. It will also be apparent that by arranging the gripping bar22 at the rearmost edge of the arms 21 in the manner illustratedthroughout the drawings, the bar is positioned so that a person canadvantageously support the container A by the handle C with one hand,and at the same time, with the fingers of the same hand, engage andshift the gripping bar 22 of the actuating means E.

It is also to be noted that when the actuating means E is shifted to theopen position, the gripping bar 22 thereof engages and stops against thehand grip 16 of the handle C, 'so that the said bar and grip are, ineffect, joined together to form a single support member for thecontainer.

Still further, it is to be noted that when the actuating means E isengaged and the container is tipped forwardly, so that the spout B ismoved downwardly, the weight of the can and the liquid therein, issufficient to shift the actuating means E to the open position, wherethe cap leaves the spout, and where the bar 22 is stopped against thehand grip 16, with the result that the person supporting the containerfrom the hand grip 16 and the bar 22 need not perform any special,awkward or tiring operations with his fingers to hold and maintain theactuating means in an open position.

It will be apparent that the ability of my construction to function inthe manner set forth in the preceding paragraph is governed orcontrolled by the pressure exerted by the springs 35, and that if it isdesired that the device should not open in the manner referred to,stronger or stiffer springs can be employed.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specificdetails herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variationsor modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A safety container including, a closed vessel having a top wall andadapted to carry liquids, an elongate tubular pouring spout with an openouter end fixed to and projecting upwardly from the top wall of thevessel, a handle with an elongate horizontally disposed hand grip spacedabove the top wall of the container and laterally offset from the spout,elongate legs depending from the ends of the hand grip and connectedwith the top wall of the vessel, a closure cap, actuating means carryingthe cap and adapted to shift the cap into and out of engagement with thespout including, a unity frame member with laterally spaced elongateparallel arms having inner and outer ends, pivot pins connecting theinner ends of the arms with lower ends of the legs, a gripping barextending between the outer ends of the arms to extend parallel with thehand grip and shiftable into and out of engagement with the hand grip, aclevis plate fixed to the cap, laterally inwardly projecting fingers onthe outer ends of the arms and pivotally connected to the clevis plate,and spring means between the legs and the arms and adapted to normallyyieldingly urge the frame away from the handle and the cap into tightsealing engage ment on the spout.

,2. A safety container including, an elongate vertically disposed liquidhandling vessel with a substantially horizontally disposed top wall, asubstantially vertically disposed .elongate tubular pouring spout fixedto and pro jecting upwardly from the said top wall adjacent one side ofthe vessel and defining an annular seat at its outer end, a U-shapedhandle arranged centrally of the vessel and having an elongatehorizontally disposed hand grip spaced above the top wall of the vesseland laterally offset from the spout, and elongate vertically disposedlegs depending from the ends of the grip and fixed to the wall, a pairof laterally spaced like parallel arms with inner and outer ends, apivot pin connecting the inner end of each arm to the lower end of eachleg, an elongate horizontally disposed gripping bar integrally joined toand extending between the outer ends of the arms to occur between thespout and the grip and in parallel relationship with the grip, a fingeron the outer end of each arm and projecting laterally therefrom to occurin spaced parallel relationship with the bar, opposed laterallyoutwardly projecting end portions on the fingers and normally overlyingthe spout, a clevis plate pivotally connected with the said end portionsof the fingers, a discshaped closure cap carried by the clevis plate andadapted to engage the annular seat on the spout, and spring meansadapted to normally yieldinzly urge the bar away from the grip and thecap into tight sealing engagement with the spout including, a rattrapspring carried by each pivot pin to occur between the related arm andthe leg and having one end engaging the arm and the other end engagingthe leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,725,386 Anschicks Aug. 20, 1929 1,819,037 Raster Aug. 18, 19312,335,195 Packer Nov. 23, 1943 2,490,194 Barclay Dec. 6, 1949 2,574,876Lebus Nov. 13, 1951

